‘Elbows up, Canada:’ Demonstrators gather on Parliament Hill to protest Trump, tariffs

Demonstrators at an "Elbows Up, Canada" rally on Parliament Hill on March 9, 2025. (Katelyn Wilson/CTV News Ottawa)

Hundreds donned in red and white gathered on Parliament Hill Sunday to denounce U.S. tariffs and President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada.

The rally, called “Elbows Up, Canada,” was held to “celebrate our country, affirm our sovereignty,” according to organizers.

Many in attendance were seen carrying maple leaf flags and holding signs with the words “Canada is not for sale” and “Canada strong and free.”

About 1,000 people were in attendance, according to a social media post from Ottawa police.

“I’m feeling very stressed because I’m worried about my family and my grandchildren and future of Canada,” said Penelope Burton, who was at the rally.

“We have a wonderful country and we need to stand up for it.”

Susan Nally was there with her two kids.

“It feels like we have whiplash there is so much uncertainty,” she said.

“We have our own federal elections coming up and so it’s very hard to feel the same security I’ve always felt as a Canadian living in Canada.”

“Elbows up!” has become a war cry of the Canadian resistance to Trump and has found its way to T-shirts and social media feeds alike. The term is a reference to one of Canada’s greatest hockey players Gordie Howe, who would use his elbows to defend himself while playing.

Local officials, including Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi were also at the rally.

“There is a lot of uncertainty and it feels a little bit scary. But I can say one thing that is not going to change is we are always going to be proud. We are always going to be free. We are always going to be Canadian. We don’t choose to fight, but we’re prepared to fight. We’re ready to fight and we will defend out country and we will protect our economy,” Sutcliffe said.

Shaun Majumder and his family recently moved back to Canada after living in Los Angeles after 20 years.

“I’ve had a great run there. I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve had many amazing things opened up for me. Then I had two kids over Covid, and it just got to a point where I said, this place does not feel like a place I want to raise my two daughters,” Majumder said.

The rally’s co-organizer Peter Wall says it’s important for Canadians to come together.

“I think the message is we got a great country, it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn good. And it’s worth standing up for and it’s worth speaking out about, and it’s worth gathering with your neighbors and talking about it. And this is a way to do that,” Wall said.

Protests and calls for Canada to stand up to Trump’s threats have been growing since the president imposed – then later paused – 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada.

Earlier this week, dozens of protesters lined the sidewalk across from the U.S. embassy in Ottawa shortly after the tariffs first went into effect and called on Canadians to stand up to Trump’s rhetoric.

Trump has increased his rhetoric against Canada since he was re-elected in November, stating his desire to make Canada the 51st state and mocking the prime minister with the nickname “Governor Justin Trudeau.”

Canada has responded with a tariff plan of its own. The federal government suspended a planned second wave of retaliatory tariffs after Trump signed an executive order Thursday delaying tariffs on goods that meet the rules-of-origin requirements under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.

Many provinces have also responded by pulling American liquor off their shelves to fight back against the trade war.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV’s Katelyn Wilson